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"That's just not right," Kaleb said. "She rides good too."
I nodded. "She does. I know the sponsors backed away from her recently, though. Means they're scared of something."
"So the judges aren't being fair?" Liam asked.
"What do you think?" I shot back.
"What can we do about it?" Tim wanted to know.
I could only shrug. "Dunno, but I think we all need to start complaining. Don't tell me you think Cody's scores are fair."
"No," the group agreed, many of them shaking their heads.
"So talk to your sponsors. Ask the officials. I think it's time we stop ignoring this and start pushing at it, because this is bullshit!"
"Ticket sales are down," Jake said. "Have been for a few months now. Before Cody, so don't any of you start blaming her for that. I think the PBR's trying to get some footage that'll look good on the stream and make fans come back."
"And it's bullshit," I grumbled. "My ride wasn't that good. Cody's wasn't that bad. The rest of you need to start thinking about how you're doing and if they're pushing you up or pulling you down."
"What if we're one of the lucky ones?" Kaleb asked. "Because I'm ok with winning for once in my life."
"Even if you don't deserve it?" I asked. "Even if you know it's nothing more than a popularity contest? But instead of high school fuckery, it's now the PBR using you and making money on your name that you're never gonna see?"
"Fuck that," Kaleb mumbled.
"Yeah," I said, grabbing my hat and shoving it on my head. "Fuck all of this. I want to win because I earned it. I want to cheer for any of you who beat my ass because you deserve it. We ride because we're good enough to stay on for eight. We sure as shit aren't here to be fucking used."
"No way," the guys agreed.
And with that, I pushed through them, heading for the stairs with the intention of putting my shit away. Yeah, I was still pissed, but if I couldn't make Cody better, and I didn't have a chance in hell of seeing her, then at least I could do this.
I could start making these fuckers think about it. Plus, I hadn't been lying. Thiswasbullshit, and my ride hadn't been that good. Now, maybe I'd just gotten lucky and the judges hadn't had a good view, but it still felt wrong.
"Ty!"
I paused to see Jake following me down the stairs. Pulling in a breath, I kept myself from cussing like a sailor, but it didn't make me wanna see the guy any more.
"What do you want this time?" I asked.
"You heard anything about Cody?" he asked.
I turned to face him. "What the fuck are you trying to do with her?"
He stepped up, right into my chest. "Working on being your arch-neblesis."
"Fuck off!" Damn, that one drunk line was going to haunt me forever.
Turning, I stormed off, aiming for my shit. I was sitting in first, and I was pretty damned sure none of those re-rides would knock me out. One might, but if my guess was right, I was the hero of the night. I couldn't help but wonder if it was because the entire PBR knew I'd had a falling out with the female bull rider and they were hoping to lift me up because of it.
"Seriously," Jake pressed, following me. "Any news?"
"I've been waiting to ride too!" I snapped at him.
"And you talked to Tanner out there!"
"He hasn't heard shit either," I said, refusing to stop until I was back in the warmup area and shoving my rope into my bag. "Go check Sports Medicine if you're so worried, Jake."
"She's not there," he said. "I did check."
